4 h. ago Charlie Kirk boasted about Trump’s win in Seoul, told Japan to fight globalism

In the week before his fatal shooting, right-wing US political activist Charlie Kirk cheered the boom of conservative young men in South Korea and warned about a “globalist menace” in Tokyo on his first speaking tour of Asia. Kirk, 31, who helped amplify Republican President Donald Trump’s agenda to young voters with often inflammatory rhetoric focused on issues such as gender and immigration, was shot in the neck on Wednesday at a speaking event at a Utah university. In Seoul on Friday, he...

Politics

8 h. ago Readout of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's Call With People's Republic of China Minister of National Defense Admiral Dong Jun

Readout of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's Call With People's Republic of China Minister of National Defense Admiral Dong Jun  U.S. Embassy in Singapore (.gov)

Events

15 h. ago Conservative firebrand, Trump confidant Charlie Kirk shot dead

US President Donald Trump’s confirmation of the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, his close ally, at an event at Utah Valley University sent shock waves through an already deeply divided nation on Wednesday. “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie”, Trump wrote on social media. He added that Kirk was “loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no...

Events

15 h. ago Conservative activist Charlie Kirk dead after being shot at US university

US President Donald Trump’s confirmation of the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, his close ally, at an event at Utah Valley University sent shock waves through an already deeply divided nation on Wednesday. “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie”, Trump wrote on social media. He added that Kirk was “loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no...

Events

22 h. ago Chinese and US defence ministers discuss Taiwan, South China Sea in video call

Any attempts to contain deter or interfere with China will fail, Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun said on Tuesday night in his first video call with US counterpart Pete Hegseth. State news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday that the discussions included Taiwan and the South China Sea, two areas of friction between Beijing and Washington. “Any schemes and interference aimed at ‘using military force to assist independence’ or ‘using the Taiwan issue to contain China’ will be thwarted,” the...

Politics

22 h. ago The US can’t box China in, Chinese defence minister warns Hegseth in video call

The US does not pursue “regime change or strangulation” of China, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said as his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, stressed that any attempt to contain, deter or interfere with China would fail. The assurance and the warning came on Tuesday as the two men spoke via video in their first direct talks since taking office. It was also less than a week after Beijing held a massive military parade showcasing advanced weapons and promoting its push for a multipolar order to...

Events

22 h. ago Miss Philippines Earth blasts flood corruption, says crown not worth her silence

The newly crowned Miss Philippines Earth’s sharp-tongued posts about her country’s deepening flood control corruption scandal have earned her both praise and warnings that she could lose her crown. Joy Barcoma has become an unexpected commentator on the growing political controversy, weighing in with biting humour and fierce advocacy that has won her a legion of new fans who refer to her as “my queen”. Some have urged Barcoma to stay silent to preserve her shot at the international title, but...

Events

31 h. ago Poland downs Russian drones, a first for Nato member during Ukraine war

Poland shot down drones that entered its airspace on Wednesday, the first time a member of Nato is known to have fired shots during Russia’s war in Ukraine. Poland said 19 objects had entered its airspace during a large Russian air attack on Ukraine, and that it had shot down those that posed a threat. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he had activated Article Four of Nato’s treaty, under which alliance members can demand consultations with their allies. “We are dealing with a large-scale...

Events

43 h. ago Hong Kong court backs lesbian couple on registering as parents of son together

A Hong Kong court has ruled it unlawful for authorities to bar a lesbian couple from registering together as parents of their son conceived through fertility treatment, saying it violates the boy’s privacy and family rights. In a judgment handed down on Tuesday, the Court of First Instance sided with the women seeking legal recognition of their parental status after their success in a previous legal bid left major questions regarding their rights and obligations unanswered. The pair, a Chinese...

Events

45 h. ago 2 Hong Kong lawmakers seek delay, partial lifting of tobacco control measures

Two Hong Kong lawmakers representing the business sector have made a last-ditch effort to delay and partially lift the implementation of the government’s tobacco control measures by moving amendments to a bill set to be discussed on Wednesday at the earliest. The amendments by lawmakers Michael Lee Chun-keung and Peter Shiu Ka-fai, both from the pro-business Liberal Party, included a call for the government to lift a proposed ban on selling flavoured conventional smoking products. They also...

Politics

46 h. ago Alibaba mobilises merchants on premium Tmall site to join instant commerce drive

Alibaba Group Holding has fired another shot at on-demand delivery giant Meituan, with a campaign that brings merchants from its Tmall business-to-consumer shopping platform onto its Taobao Instant Commerce site. The campaign – dubbed “Jishigou”, which translates to instant purchase in Chinese – has seen more than 260 brands on Alibaba’s Tmall premium retail platform join its instant commerce service, the company said on Tuesday. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post. Taobao Shangou,...

Politics

54 h. ago Former MD Anderson researcher charged with stealing cancer research to China

Former MD Anderson researcher charged with stealing cancer research to China  The Daily Texan

Events

63 h. ago 8 dead after goods train slams into a bus outside Mexico City

A goods train slammed into a double-deck bus northwest of Mexico City early Monday, killing at least eight people and injuring 45, authorities said. The accident took place in an industrial area of warehouses and factories in the town of Atlacomulco, about 130km (80 miles) northwest of Mexico City. The state of Mexico’s civil defence agency said via social media that authorities were still working at the site of the accident. The bus from the Herradura de Plata line was ripped apart by the...

Events

66 h. ago Texas bans certain foreign buyers from owning land, targets China

Texas bans certain foreign buyers from owning land, targets China  HousingWire

Events

3 d. ago Korean mother accused of suitcase murders stands trial in New Zealand

A woman accused of killing her two young children and hiding their bodies in suitcases stood trial in New Zealand on Monday, in a case that has transfixed the country since the remains were discovered in 2022. Lee Hak-yung, 44, appeared at the Auckland High Court. A Korean-born New Zealander, she is accused of killing her children – six-year-old Minu-jo and eight-year-old Yuna-jo – in 2018, shortly after the death of her husband from cancer. The children’s remains lay undiscovered for years...

Events

3 d. ago Mitton tops shot put field in Beijing after being stripped of Diamond League Final win

Mitton tops shot put field in Beijing after being stripped of Diamond League Final win  CBC

Sport

4 d. ago ‘Even if I was shot, I was fine with that’: a North Korean’s journey to freedom

A man whose early life in North Korea was so bleak that he was prepared to be shot in the back while making a break for freedom across the Chinese border has told his story after defecting to Japan in 2017. The man is one of many to have become involved with an Osaka-based charity that addresses North Korean human rights issues. The organisation provides speaking opportunities for North Korean defectors on podcasts and other platforms, allowing them to share information about the realities of...

Politics

5 d. ago ‘Nobody said anything’: Malaysia confronts its deadly school bullying problem

The guilt hangs heavily over Jerry* whenever his mind drifts back to his school days in Kota Kinabalu and that quiet “awkward kid” he once tormented. Sitting at the back of the classroom, the boy was an easy target for Jerry and his friends, who delighted in humiliating him by stealing his shoes, tugging down his trousers or meting out the occasional beating. They were only 12, behaving as children do, he once thought. But more than two decades later, Jerry feels the weight of what those moments...

Events

5 d. ago Navy Seals killed North Korean civilians in botched 2019 mission: US report

US Navy Seals shot and killed a number of North Korean civilians during a botched covert mission to plant a listening device in the nuclear-armed country during high-stakes diplomatic negotiations in 2019, The New York Times reported on Friday. Citing unidentified sources, including current and former military officials with knowledge of the still-classified details, the newspaper said US President Donald Trump approved the operation during his first administration, as he was involved in...

Events

5 d. ago Texas law curbing Chinese property rights takes effect, no relief in sight for months

A Texas law restricting property ownership and leasing by Chinese citizens came into effect this week, thrusting affected residents into legal limbo with no path to relief before November. The law, which restricts real estate purchases by companies, individuals and government entities linked to countries that the federal government deems a threat to the US, took effect on September 1 after a legal challenge failed to block it in time. The legislation identifies China, Iran, North Korea and...

Society